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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25755901">Month</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FortuneSurfer/pseuds/FortuneSurfer'>FortuneSurfer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Per qualche dollaro in più | For a Few Dollars More (1965)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Behavior, In Character, M/M, Suspense</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:29:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,166</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25755901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FortuneSurfer/pseuds/FortuneSurfer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Challenge accepted! Written for my friend's prompt in the title.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>"Manco" | The Man with No Name/Douglas Mortimer, El Indio/"Manco" | The Man with No Name</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Month</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hidden behind the poncho, Manco’s right hand hovers above his holster, ready to get him out of trouble. He follows Niño, who just informed him that Indio wants to see him in the yard now. There is no explanation for that in Manco’s mind other than that Indio has somehow found out about his and Mortimer’s ambitions and the invitation will turn out to be an ambush.</p><p>His guess doesn’t prove to be right, though.</p><p>In the yard, most of the band members are waiting, and so is Mortimer, who appears to be just as confused and gives Manco an alert look. Manco nods, indicating that he’s prepared for everything.</p><p>Indio sits on the low stone wall, and even from the distance of several feet between them Manco can smell tequila, the bottle of which is passed around the band, and the sweet herbal whiff of marijuana off him. He looks and sounds almost otherworldly in the grey falling dusk.</p><p>He offers him and Mortimer to join two others on their journey to the nearby city. There, they’ll choose and bring back with them women.</p><p>“An entire month is a long time, and the thoughts about all that money waiting will make it feel even longer,” says Indio and inspects everybody with a warning glint in his eye. “Any man can become impatient and eventually develop stupid thoughts. The company of women will make it less hard to endure.”</p><p>Mortimer snorts and says: “Your offer is mighty hospitable, but I’ll still have to refuse it.”</p><p>“Same,” agrees Manco laconically.</p><p>Indio looks at them and jumps off the wall.</p><p>“That’s just what I thought.”</p><p>Manco frowns. To fit into Indio’s notions of them is about the last thing he wants now.</p><p>Indio strolls to Mortimer on the opposite side of the yard from where Manco is standing. He walks around him, sharing with him his thought processes.</p><p>“I don’t mean to offend you,” Indio says the last words sharply, like a challenge, but immediately makes up for it with a respectful address from his mother tongue: “<em>señor</em>. But you don’t seem to be a man who knows what it’s like to be consumed by desire. I imagine your heart must be cold like you weapon, and no woman can warm it.”</p><p>He stops right in front of Mortimer, and when he doesn’t continue from there, Mortimer bares his teeth in a grin that barely tries to appear friendly.</p><p>“No offense taken.” Manco doesn’t see it from his place but he can vividly imagine the quiet hatred in his partner’s eyes; he has seen it a couple of times already, and it made him wonder about the possible undisclosed motivations of Mortimer.</p><p>Their exchange evidently satisfies Indio, and he turns around and walks to Manco now, the members of his gang in his way sheepishly stepping aside.</p><p>“But you… <em>Amigo</em>.” Indio breathes out the last word intimately, like a longing lover. Manco rises his eyebrows, intending his expression to reveal only a mild, unworried curiosity. No tension.</p><p>Indio doesn’t circle him as he just did with Mortimer but plants himself in front of him. Way too close for comfort, as always. Manco’s right hand lowers itself on the butt of his gun. He doesn’t know what to expect from this <em>loco </em>but is sure as hell that it’ll be nothing good.</p><p>Indio doesn’t say anything for quite some time, only leering at him with his sharp eagle eyes.</p><p>“You’ve got a face that most women would forgive cheating. And women don’t like to be cheated on... And the eyes, so clear and young.”</p><p>Manco resolutely meets his gaze, although the temptation to glance at everybody else around them is growing in him by the moment. Aren’t the band members surprised by their leader’s behavior and observations? Is it some kind of test?</p><p>“You talking about it now makes me ask myself why you took me in, Indio,” replies Manco with jeer.  “Maybe I don’t even need to waste my bullets on you?”</p><p>Indio doesn’t seem to notice the ambiguity of his wording. He slowly tilts his head to the side and comments: “And that sharp tongue. <em>M</em><em>agnífico</em>.”</p><p>For a few seconds, violence threatens to erupt in the yard because at first Manco hears his own nickname and assumes that Indio addresses him by it to let him know that he is aware of who he really is. Nothing else gives Manco a reason to think so, although he’d prefer it to the reality of the situation he’s in.</p><p>Indio continues to look up at him, except now he slowly, with no shame, lowers his gaze to Manco’s mouth, which by coincidence doesn’t have a stubby cigar in it.</p><p>The man is difficult to read and even more so now that he’s under the influence of drugs, yet Manco’s sixth sense is telling him that Indio is fixing to take him by his chin. But Manco isn’t a horse to be treated like that, and so he braces himself to catch the other’s hand and tell him just that to teach him about discretion.</p><p>The suspense is resolved with the noise of a bottle smashing to pieces. Mortimer, at whose feet its fragments are lying, attracts all the attention.</p><p>“Oops,” says he and smiles charmingly. “I’m sorry. Just take it out of my share.”</p><p>After that, Indio remembers where he is or something like that and finally steps out of Manco’s personal space. He goes into the house, throwing commands around in reeky irritation:</p><p>“Take no woman for me either, Julio. And, Niño, you’ll be guarding the chest tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>From the window of Mortimer‘s room one can see the place where the money is kept, but the broad patrolling silhouette of Niño is drowning in shadows. Manco lowers his binoculars and chews at his cigar in displeasure. From that distance and by that light, there’s simply no chance of getting him, like Mortimer said.</p><p>“I’m sorry about what happened with Indio earlier,” says Mortimer behind his back. Manco doesn’t only hear but also feels the compassion and condemnation in his voice. “It was a disgusting display.”</p><p>“Well, I didn’t enjoy his attention either,” admits Manco and spits a small piece of cigar off his tongue. “He’s not exactly to my taste.”</p><p>Then, there is a pause. Mortimer asks him, earnestly, too earnestly: “Isn’t he?”</p><p>Manco doesn’t risk turning to him. He tries to prevent the emotion that makes his heart race from strangling his voice.</p><p>“Yes. But I think you knew that already.”</p><p>He’s ready to believe that he imagined it, that this conversation didn’t happen, when a hand is softly placed on his shoulder.</p><p>“We may not have to wait for a full month. But we may have to wait longer than originally expected,” says Mortimer, low and tenderly. “And if we’ll have to wait, we may as well get to know each other better.”</p><p>Manco breathes out and turns to him.</p><p>“I thought you’d never propose."</p>
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